Do You Trust Me
by LGP
Summary: A Sydrian lemon, for those in the mood for such things. It's... well. It's quite juicy. Read at your own peril, ok? It's best if you're reading my story The Door in the Tree, because while technically this takes place after Bloodlines, it's really more that it takes place within The Door in the Tree. If you're not reading my story, the characters might seem slightly OC.


_So, a word of explanation here. _

_This is the original, long, version of Chapter 26 of my story, The Door in the Tree. If you've been reading that story all along, you'll recognize certain sections as identical. However, certain long sections – more than two-thirds of it – will be new to you. It'll be like watching the director's cut of a movie or something, with all the deleted scenes put in the right place. The like, rated NC-17 version._

_Why, you might be wondering, did I edit down the chapter, down to the version I placed in the main story? Because this is hella dirty, folks. I know the rest of my story is rated M. But this scene is really, really, really M. It's pretty much the same intensity of a scene between Sookie and one of her various lovers in the Sookie series, if you've ever read those. It is, in the apparent parlance of fanfiction, an extremely juicy lemon. Like, we might need a new term for stories like this. Grapefruit or something, I don't know. What can I say? I was on a roll. I was on a roll like a hot dog._

_So. Yeah. It's a bit much. Plus, I know that several of you are under a certain age. You know who you are. If you're not sure if you should read this, then don't. _

_If you're reading the rest of the story, you don't HAVE to read this story. No plot points are revealed, nothing like that. You can pick up on the gist of what goes on between Adrian and Sydney in the edited version of the chapter. But if you really want to know what exactly Adrian did to make Sydney sooooo happy, well... here you go. _

_If you're not reading the rest of the story, well, why in the heck aren't you? It's pretty decent. Yeah, it's long, but you don't have to read it all in one day! But, anyway, if you're not, I think you can figure out the gist of what's going on here. Adrian and Sydney are alone together. And... go!_

_And seriously, if you're not old enough, don't read this. It's rather... specific. _

_I'm just making you want to read it more, aren't I? Sigh. Well, do what you think is right. Just don't say I didn't warn you. And don't complain if you think it's too juicy. Deal?_

_Oh, and if you've read the version of this chapter that's in my main story already, then skip down to the short line, which is where it starts to diverge. _

**Do You Trust Me?**

"I love you," Adrian had said. Hearing it, really hearing the words "I love you," was something brand new to me. True, he had come close to saying it before. And looking at the painting had left very little room for doubt, as every brush struck had spoken volumes about his feelings for me. But still. No one had ever said those three words to me except family, and even _they_ said it rarely. No one had ever _chosen_ to love me. Adrian had chosen me. And for all the problems that caused for us, I was so grateful for that.

"My Adrian," I sighed again, and kissed him as if I'd never stop. I wanted to say that I loved him too. I knew it was the custom, that he'd probably be left hurting if I didn't say it back. I was pretty sure that I did love him, too. But when I tried to say it, the words got stuck in my throat. So I just kissed him with all the intensity I was feeling, murmuring his name.

"You can't say it yet, can you?" he asked me when we broke apart. He ran his fingers along the planes of my face, his eyes searching mine. I shook my head. "Why not?"

"I don't know," I said, miserably.

"Well, it's ok," he said, gently. "It really is. I said it because I couldn't keep it in for one more second, not because I wanted to guilt you into saying it back. I guess you'll say it when you're ready." He smiled. "I think I know how you're feeling. And I like it when you call me 'My Adrian.'"

"I like calling you that," I said, feeling like that was a lame reply. I pulled him back into the kiss, and the intensity went from zero to sixty faster than a Lamborghini. My course of action seemed suddenly completely clear to me. Now was the time. I untucked his shirt and ran my hands over his back and chest. Then, still kissing him, I undid his belt, and then his pants. My hand slid under his silk boxers. I heard his sharp intake of breath, felt his body react to my touch.

"Oh, wow, Sydney," he breathed. "You always were, um, _direct_, weren't you?"

"Yes," I said. I looked him in the eye, but his eyes were closing slightly, a reaction to the caress. I was amazed at how soft the skin was on this, his most vulnerable part.

"That feels amazing," he whispered. "You're amazing, Sydney, but… oh, wow... you don't _have_ to do this. Not just... ahhh... because of what I said."

My other hand traveled up around his neck, and I kept him close to me, using my other hand to stroke him, gently. His reaction to my touch amazed me, even made me feel powerful somehow. I thought about the trust involved in letting someone touch you the way I was touching him. It had never occurred to me before. Being with someone like this was as much about trust as it was about anything else, I realized. "I'm not just doing this because of what you said," I murmured. "I made up my mind hours ago."

"If you're sure..." he sighed. "You... oh... you don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"I never do anything I don't want to do," I told him.

"Tha-hat's not always, hmm, true," he whispered. He was obviously finding it a bit difficult to speak. "You've been following directions most of your life."

He was right, I knew. But at the same time, I'd always fought to do what was important to me – just in my own way. "Ok," I said. "Then tell me to stop and see if I follow that direction."

"I really don't want you to stop," he said. "But now that you mention it, you really... should... or I'll just um, make a mess of things." He pulled away from me. "I'm sorry," he said. "That just felt _too_ good, you know? I'd rather we... Oh, Sydney." He seemed at a loss for words, but pulled me close to kiss me.

I reached up and undid his tie, as I had been wanting to do all night. "I like your tie," I whispered, as I slid it around his collar and off of him. Then, inspiration striking me, I took a step backwards, towards the hallway that led to his room, and tossed the tie onto a nearby chair. Adrian looked at me, curious, and took a step closer to me. I smiled and took another step back, evading him, and then I kicked my shoes off to the side. Adrian took a step closer, then kicked his shoes off, too. I took a step back, then waited. He grinned and took another step closer, then another. When he was close enough, I kissed him again, and, still kissing him, I slid his jacket off of his shoulders and tossed it onto the chair, which was now a little ways away. Adrian reached for me, but I stepped back again. We were getting closer and closer to his bedroom with each step.

I pulled off the tank top that Jill had lent me, then tossed it on the floor. As I did so, I thought about how shy I used to be about my body in front of Adrian. Just a few months ago I was nervous to even unbutton my blouse in front of him. But now I actually loved to let him see me. When he looked at me, I felt like I might actually really be as beautiful as he said I was. It was the look on his face that I loved, a look as if he were looking at the most beautiful thing in the world.

"I liked that gold top," Adrian said, his voice hushed and very low.

"Want me to put it back on?" I asked, my voice also hushed.

"Not even a little bit," he answered, and took a step closer. Now that he was close enough, I started to unbutton his shirt for him. He let me do it with no protest, but when I had only one button to go, he caught me up in a quick, intense kiss, messing up my hair, pulling my skirt askew. I grinned and escaped, then undid his last button and helped him slip him out of his shirt. He threw it over his shoulder carelessly.

I took a step backwards. I unzipped my skirt and then paused with my fingers on the waistline. "Do you like the skirt, too?" I asked.

"Not as much as I'll like it on the floor," he growled.

I slid the skirt down and stepped out of it.

Adrian looked me up and down, taking in my simple strapless bra and my plain white cotton underwear with a smile, then stepped forward. His pants were already undone, so it was easy for me to slide them down his legs. He stepped out of them and left them on the floor. We stood facing each other, each just in underwear, both breathing heavily. Then, with one of those super quick movements that characterize Moroi, Adrian grabbed me and walked down the rest of the hallway with me in his arms. We kissed as he walked through the door to his darkened bedroom, and then he put me down on the bed, closed the bedroom door, and lay down next to me.

The weird thing was that, now that we were actually where I had basically directed us to go, I felt sort of shy. Even after the passionate kisses we'd shared the night we had reconciled, and the things we'd done on our river ride, and everything else that had happened between us, I found myself suddenly almost frozen in place. Adrian took my hand, which I had clenched almost into a fist, and began straightening out my fingers, one at a time.

"Come here, Sage," he said, and pulled me close. "You can change your mind, you know. It's ok. Let's just..."

"I'm not changing my mind," I said. My voice came out a little harsher than I had thought it would, and I tried to soften it with a smile.

"Well, let's take it slow," Adrian suggested. "One step at a time." He kissed my cheek. "You're in control."

"Ok," I said. "I've never actually... done this."

"I know that," he said, in that gentle, honey voice of his. "I haven't either, you know."

"Of course you have," I said, confused.

"I haven't, though," he said. "I've had sex, sure. But I haven't ever had sex with _you_. And that makes it different."

I had never thought of it that way. An image popped into my head of me having sex with someone else, someone I didn't like. I pictured me lying passive while some guy huffed and puffed away on top of me. Maybe I'd grab a book and start to read... Yes, it mattered who you were with, even more than it mattered what you were doing, I realized.

"I'm glad I'm with you," I whispered. "I wouldn't want to be with anyone else."

"Me either," he said.

He didn't move. He was letting me come to him, I knew. So I kissed him, just once, experimentally. I wanted to see if my fear still had me captive. As usual, just the feel of his soft lips on mine was enough to increase my heart rate – I estimated I was at about 160 beats per minute, and rising – and increase the flow of blood to... well... certain parts of my body. I kissed him again, not using my tongue. I was holding out as long as I could. Then I needed more, needed to open my mouth, needed to touch his tongue with mine. I rolled partially on top of him, most of my body still on the bed, my hands resting on his shoulder, my chest pressed against his.

"My Adrian," I sighed, and I felt him smile as we continued to kiss. We weren't wearing much, and the feeling of his skin against mine was simultaneously comforting and exciting as we kissed and kissed, harder and harder. Adrian ran his hands through my hair, pulling it a little, making me gasp and lean my head back. My neck was exposed then, and Adrian kissed the vulnerable skin. I returned the favor, using my teeth a little, and after a minute or so of that Adrian seemed to shift into a higher gear. He made a noise low in his throat, rolled me onto my back, and got on top of me. He pulled my bra down on my body a few inches so that he could lick my nipple, and I gasped a little.

"Feel good?" he whispered.

"Oh, wow," I said. He made that growling noise again and then began to suck gently. He made eye contact with me. "The sensation is... exquisite..." I stammered. I was no good at sex talk, I realized.

"That means you like it?" he whispered, then blew on the damp skin gently.

I sucked in my breath. "Yes," I whispered.

"Good. Because I like doing it."

I reached around behind me to unhook the bra so I could take it off completely. In the dim light of the room, I could see Adrian's smile before he bent to kiss me again, completely unimpeded by the bra this time. I loved the feeling, but also wanted to touch him, so after a few moments, I pushed him over onto his back and straddled him. I kissed his neck, his chest, his face. He had his hands on my lower back, and he was moving me slightly against him. His hands on me... His lips on my neck... The sound of his voice, low in my ear... Soon we were both breathing hard, and both our underwear had disappeared. I lay down on my side, and Adrian lay down on his, facing me, draping one leg over me.

"I think..." I whispered. "I think I'm ready."

"Maybe," Adrian said. "But that doesn't mean I am."

"You're not?" I had the evidence of his readiness right in front of me. It was bumping against my thigh, actually.

"I want to be sure of things," he said. "This is your first time. I want it to be absolutely perfect."

"It _will_ be perfect," I said. "It's us. It'll be perfect no matter what."

"Hmmm," he murmured, stroking my arm. "Maybe so. But after everything you've done for me, I feel like I want to do something special for you."

"I haven't..." I started to say, but he cut me off.

"You've done everything for me," he said. "And I love making you happy. So..." And even in the dim light I could see the mischievous smile on his face. "I told you I had a plan for you, something I wanted to try. It's something I'm pretty sure you'll like. But you have to let me know if it's ok."

"What is it?"

He paused. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course," I breathed.

"Well then, would you let me... Would it be ok if I..." He struggled for the words. Finally, he said, "Would it be ok if I used spirit a little on you? I mean... compulsion?"

"Compulsion?" I repeated, my voice shaking a little. His voice was so gentle, and he was Adrian, after all. My Adrian. But what was he suggesting? "I don't know..." I said, weakly.

"Not in a bad way," he said quickly. "I mean, compulsion sounds so awful, doesn't it? But with compulsion, I can make people... feel things. You saw me make Bryan feel like he had been punched. Well, if I can do that, what else can I do? I think" – and he leaned over close to my ear –"I can use compulsion to make you feel extra good. I wouldn't use it to make you do anything you don't want to do, I swear. Just..." He kissed my neck, and then opened his mouth and sucked a little, and I let out a little moan without intending to. He pulled away and spoke again. "I just want to make you feel... good things." He paused. "Can I demonstrate? Do it just a little, so you can see what it might be like?"

I took a deep breath in and let it out, then nodded. "Just a little," I said, in a small voice. I did trust Adrian. I trusted him with my body, and more importantly, with my heart. Now I was going to trust him with my mind. I thought quickly about what my parents would think of all this, but I put the thought away to deal with later. I was here. Now. With Adrian. I rolled over so that I was lying on my back, and he got on top of me.

"I don't know for sure if it'll work," he said. "But... Ok." He looked me right in the eye. I felt a wave of power roll over me, and then heard him say, "I'm going to do something, and when I stop, I want you to keep feeling it, ok?"

"Ok," I said, feeling dreamy.

He bent to my nipple, as he had done a few moments ago, and his tongue made soft circles as he applied gentle pressure. I squirmed happily, closing my eyes, taking in the sensation. Adrian knew how much I liked it when he did that. But then... he was kissing my lips, too. I opened my eyes. I could still feel him at my breast, but I could see that he clearly had his lips to mine. I kissed him fervently, lost in the dual sensation.

"Is it working?" he asked me, smiling.

"Yes," I managed to say.

"Good," he said. "Now stop feeling it," he added, very gently. The feeling of him kissing my breast stopped, and I sighed a little, wishing it could go on and on.

"Want to try it again?" he asked, stroking my hair.

"Yes," I whispered.

"You're ok with this?"

"Oh, _yes_," I said, and the word came out as a near moan. He grinned and gave the same instructions as last time. I tried to watch him this time as he brought his head down to my other breast. I clutched at him, feeling waves of delight. And then I had the confusing experience of watching him move away from my breast while the feeling of him there still remained. He kissed my lips, and I kissed him desperately, clutching him tight.

"Now stop," he said, gently. The feeling ceased, and I breathed deep. He kissed me softly. "So that's what I mean," he said. "Do you like it so far?"

"Oh wow... yes," I breathed.

"Want a little more, before you make up your mind?"

"Yes," I said, a little too quickly. "Please," I added.

"Happy to oblige," he said, smiling. He met my eyes. "Feel it. All of it."

A wave of power came from him, and I let out a strange cry as two invisible mouths went to my breasts and began kissing, while Adrian's real face hovered just an inch from mine. I began squirming uncontrollably, and he held me still.

"Too intense?" he asked, smiling.

"Noooo," I squeaked, clutching at him.

He stroked the hair out of my face. "This is so cool," he said, keeping eye contact. "I can make you wiggle around like that by just thinking about it."

I breathed shallowly. "Are you... enjoying this... too?" I gasped.

"I think almost as much as you are," he said, his face intense. "I like watching you move around. I like looking in your eyes. I like knowing that you're feeling this good because of me, because you're with me. I like making you feel good." He kissed me deeply for a moment. "And judging by your aura," he added, "you feel really good. But..." He looked at me, and the feeling stopped again. I let out a cry of disappointment.

"So, what do you think, my fierce girl? Do you like my little strategy?" He grinned. "I can do that kind of thing as much as you like. I can do all sorts of things for you, if you want me to." He smiled, and I felt a sensation flutter between my legs for just a few seconds. He was able to do that without speaking out loud, I realized. We were so in sync that the compulsion energy was flowing from him to me with very little effort on his part. I breathed in deeply.

"Oh, yes," I said. "I want you to." I was surprised at how hoarse my voice sounded. I was also surprised at how readily I was agreeing to this. But the feelings he was creating in me were making me want to abandon caution. I just wanted more. I just wanted to be closer to Adrian.

"So I can use my powers on you for a while? It's ok?" He made me look at him.

"I trust you," I said.

"I won't disappoint you," he said. "I promise."

"You never do," I said.

Then we just kissed for a little while, before his mouth left mine again. He kissed his way down the length of my body, pausing to caress me in all my most sensitive spots. When he got down between my legs, his tongue began exploring me there, too. I watched him for a while, my hands stroking his hair. Then he looked up at me and smiled. I could see that he wasn't touching me, but the sensations continued.

Then he brought his mouth trailing up my body, kissing each nipple for a few moments and starting up waves of sensation there, sensations that continued long after his mouth had moved on. I could barely hold still as the pleasure shook my body, so Adrian held my body in one place with his weight. With his real mouth he kissed my neck, and when he stopped, I could still feel him there, too. He kissed my lips again, and I kissed him fiercely. Then he pulled away just to look into my eyes.

I could feel the sensation of him kissing and stroking me everywhere. It was as if there were three or four of him, all caressing me at once. I was gasping and making strange little animal sounds, unable to stay quiet. He looked at something just over my head, then back at my face. "I like watching your aura going completely nuclear," he murmured. "And I love the sounds you're making." He looked back at the aura, and then his smile widened. "You're close, aren't you?" he said, very softly, in that low, musical voice of his. I nodded, squeaking a little. "Then go ahead," he whispered in my ear. "That's what I want."

"Kiss me," I gasped out.

"Happily," he said, and did.

Kissing him gave me something to focus on, and I clutched at him and held on to the sensations. And then... it happened. A climax shook me, making me sit up slightly in the bed, and I actually screamed out loud, not words, just sounds.

After a moment, I fell back on the bed. I heard Adrian's low, happy laugh. He was looking down at me, stroking my hair. The sensations he had created for me ebbed away.

"Wow," I whispered. "That was... amazing."

"Just wait," he whispered back. "Do you trust me?" His voice was low and thrilling.

"Of course," I answered and saw his answering smile. Almost immediately, I felt it all starting again, every feeling he had been causing in me a moment ago. I gasped. It was too much to take so soon.

"Just hold on for a minute," Adrian whispered, pulling me close. "I feel another one in you. It's in your aura. You're still close. Come on, hold onto me tight. I'll kiss you through it."

And he did. It was almost unbearable, the intense sensations moving across my over-sensitized skin, but I held on. I dug my nails into his back and bit at his shoulder, and I felt his body tense up against me. After a few quick moments, it all started to feel really good. Adrian gently increased the intensity bit by bit, and I started to gasp and moan in a voice I almost didn't recognize. It only took a minute or two this time before another climax hit, bigger than the first one had been. I screamed even louder, and as I fell back on the bed, trying to catch my breath, I heard Adrian murmur in my ear, "There it is. I knew it. I knew we could do it." I stared up at Adrian, my heart beating wildly. I hadn't even really recovered from the first and he had me on my second. I almost wanted to cry because what I'd experienced had been so incredibly intense. Adrian squeezed me tight, kissing me all over my face and making me smile, then he pulled the pillow over to me and tucked it under my head.

"Did you like it?" he asked, his voice low in my ear. He lay next to me again, his cheek on my pillow, one leg draped over me. An aftershock went through me, and I shivered a little, happily.

"Ohhhhh... wow..." was all I could manage. "Yes."

"I invented that technique for you. No boring sex for my golden-eyed girl."

"That was... sex?" I managed to say.

"Don't you think so?"

"I guess so," I said. _Multiple orgasms not convincing enough?_ muttered that little voice in my head. Out loud I said, "But we still haven't... you know."

Adrian laughed. "If you do it right, sex takes hours and hours. We're doing it right. I'm taking my time, because it's your first time, and I don't want to hurt you. I mean... I'm kind of a big deal." He grinned at me, and I nodded. He _was_ a big deal, so to speak. I had held that big deal in my hands a few minutes ago. He went on. "We're still in the middle of things. And don't worry." He leaned closer and spoke low in my ear: "I'll get in the middle of _you_ pretty soon, Sage."

I drew in my breath quickly, feeling a thrill go over me at his words, but I was so sated that after a moment all I could do was sigh happily and wrap my arms around him, pulling him on top of me a little. My eyes began to droop. "I'm... sleepy," I murmured.

"Then sleep for a minute," Adrian said. I rolled onto my side and he curled up next to me, his front to my back. I dozed in his arms for a few minutes as the powerful endorphin wave took me under, into sleep.

After a short while, I woke up to Adrian kissing my neck very, very gently. His kiss began to stir me, and I started to roll over so that I could put my lips to his, but he whispered, "No, no. Don't move." I forced myself to hold still as his tongue played against my neck. I started breathing more deeply, still sleepy but waking up more and more each moment. His hands came around to my breasts, and he teased me, not actually touching my nipples, just circling the very edges. I tried to move a little to put his fingers where I wanted them, but he pulled away. "I told you," he said, his voice soft and rumbling a little in his chest. "Don't. Move." He bit very, very gently at my neck, then kissed where he had just bit. His hands traveled down to stroke my inner thigh. I almost started to quiver, just wanting to be touched in other places. I let out a little moan.

"Is there something you want?" Adrian asked, teasingly.

"Please," I murmured.

"Please what?" he asked, in my ear.

"Please touch me," I answered.

"I am touching you," he said. "Oh, do you want me to touch you _here_?" His hand moved a little.

"Oh, yes," I said.

"And _here_?" Another slight movement had me gasping.

"My Adrian," I sighed, not able to say much else. It felt so good to just relax and let him touch me. But after a few minutes, I sat up a little, turned around, and pushed Adrian over on his back, straddling him.

"Oh, hello there," he said.

"Hi," I said. I leaned over him and kissed him, hard, on his mouth and neck, my hands in his hair and on his chest, my body rocking against him. When I attacked his neck a little, he lay back on the pillow, looking almost like someone sunbathing, just enjoying the caresses. Fleetingly, I thought that Adrian would never go sunbathing in his life because he was a vampire, but I pushed the thought away. It wasn't relevant. He was my Adrian, vampire-ness and all. I wasn't a big fan of sunbathing myself, when you get right down to it. But I was a really big fan of Adrian's neck. And his arms, when they went around me. And his narrow hips under my thighs. And his... wow. Yeah. That. I hadn't understood the world's fascination with phallic imagery, all through the history of art. But now, feeling him under me, I was starting to understand.

After a minute or two of kissing and touching him, I sat up a little, still straddling him, needing to catch my breath. Adrian reached up to stroke my face, then he met my eyes and I sensed his power ignite. In a moment, I felt the sensation of his tongue traveling from place to place on my body, even though I was looking right at his smiling face. "Does it feel good?" he whispered.

"Amazing," I stuttered.

"Where do you want me to touch you?" he whispered. "And what do you want me to use? My fingers? My lips? My tongue?"

I told him what I wanted, feeling extremely daring for speaking the words out loud. He held my hands in his, looked me in the eye, and created the feeling mentally. I leaned my head back, and Adrian sat up a little to kiss my neck with his actual mouth.

"What else do you want?" he whispered.

I told him, and he made it happen, without stopping the previous feelings. Then he took my fingers into his mouth and licked them gently one by one, while his mental caresses continued to travel around me. He paused with my first finger in his mouth and sucked on it a little. I was reminded of the time that he had sucked the blood from my finger, and the memory of it sent happy shivers over me.

Soon, the sensations Adrian was causing in me were so strong that I couldn't stay sitting up, and I lay back on the bed again. Adrian knelt by me, and with one hand he stroked my face. With the other, he began stroking me between my legs. I kept looking at him in the eyes, amazed to be looking at his face while also feeling his mouth at both breasts and on my neck. I wanted to touch him, and not just on his face or back. I reached over and took him in my hand, and I saw his face react as I began to stroke. "Does it feel good?" I asked, echoing his words from a few minutes ago.

"Amazing," he breathed, and we stayed like that for a short moment, both caught up in sensation and each other. But then he pulled away from me a little. "How do you feel? Do you want to..."

"Oh, yes," I said. "I do."

I saw a smile cross his face. "Keep feeling the feelings," he whispered. "Give me a minute." I closed my eyes, knowing that he wasn't actually touching me, but feeling for all the world like there were at least three of him touching and kissing me all over. "Open your eyes," he said gently after a moment, and I did. I looked down and saw that he had put a condom on.

"This won't hurt," he said emphatically, looking me in the eye, and I nodded, understanding. How could it hurt? It was Adrian. I'd wanted him for so long. He lay down on top of me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, as if I'd done this a hundred times before. I felt him slide inside of me, just a little, and he was right, it didn't hurt at all. It only felt good, _correct_ somehow, like the last piece of a puzzle, like the resolution of a chord. I touched his back, ran my fingers through his hair, kissed him. He moved back and forth, easing his way further and further into me. We were actually making love, and oh, it felt so good.

But after only a minute or two, Adrian withdrew. I made a little questioning sound, but Adrian whispered, "Just a moment, sweetheart." I wanted him back inside of me, but he kissed his way down my body again. Then he made a strange sound. "You're bleeding," he said, softly. "I'm sorry. I was trying to avoid that. It didn't hurt, did it?"

"Of course not," I said. "You didn't let it hurt. I'm ok. I feel fine." I paused. "Is it bad?"

"No, not really," he said. "It's just... you're bleeding." He looked up at me, a question on his face. I understood suddenly. He wanted my blood. He had probably smelled it.

"You can, if you want," I said, and I saw something like relief on his face. Immediately he brought his tongue down to the spot where I was bleeding a little. He licked at the blood, and I lay back on the bed in amazement. It felt wonderful, partially because he was touching me in such a sensitive spot, and partially because his endorphins were entering my blood stream through the small tear. I began to feel like I was floating. He looked up and made eye-contact for a moment, and I felt waves of sensations begin to wash over me before he bent down to me again. He used his fingers to enter me as he licked at the wound, and I sighed loudly. The combination of the caresses, both real and mental, with the power of his endorphins was even more intense than anything else I'd felt that night. In moments I was biting my lip to keep down the shrieks as I climaxed yet again.

I lay back on the bed, exhausted, and Adrian lay down next to me. I looked over at him, speechless. He grinned. "That's three, right?" he asked.

"Three," I confirmed, giggling. "Tres. San. Tri. Tria. Három. Tre. Drei. Trois. Tatu. Thalaatha..."

"How many languages can you say 'four' in?" Adrian asked. "Because soon you'll be needing that number."

"About twenty languages," I said.

"Can you count to five in those languages, too?"

"I can count to a hundred," I said, deliberately ignoring his implication. "I'm only fluent in five languages, but I know the basics of many more. Please, thank you, excuse me, days of the week, numbers..."

"But can you say 'my hoverjet is full of eels' in Hindi?"

"If you want me to, I'll learn," I said.

"God, I love you," he said, and pulled me close. He seemed content for right now – I guess having some of my blood had given him a bit of a high, as well – and we rested for a bit, my head on his chest. "We'll have to travel together for real someday," he added, his breath ruffling my hair a little. "Give you a chance to use your languages."

"After we crash that prom, we'll go on a field trip," I said.

"Exactly," he laughed, and kissed the top of my head. "Oh, before I forget," he added, and put his hands on my waist.

"What are you-" I began, and then I felt the waves of hot and cold that always accompanied Adrian's healing powers.

"I hurt you," he whispered. "I didn't mean to, but I did. So it's my responsibility to heal you."

"Ok," I said. I was long past fighting that now. Magic was part of who Adrian was. It wasn't wrong for _him_ to use it. After all, I'd been enjoying his powers quite a bit for the past hour or so. And, now that Adrian wasn't charming me past pain, I _was_ feeling a little sore. Within moments, his healing power had made me good as new.

Well, not new exactly. I'd never be "new" again, I realized, and suddenly the immensity of what I had done hit me full force.

"Are you ok?" Adrian asked, as if sensing my sudden change in mood.

"I think so," I said. "I just... I just realized what we did. It changes things, you know?"

"Well, maybe," Adrian said. "But it doesn't change everything. Look at me, Sydney." I sat up a little, propping myself up on one elbow to meet his eyes. "I haven't changed how I feel about you," he said. "Well, maybe I feel a little..." He searched for the right word. "A little closer, I guess. You? Do you feel different about me?"

I thought about it. I thought of Adrian, laughing in front of the TV with me while we watched a stupid movie. Adrian, healing dozens of strangers after a bus accident. Adrian, standing in the middle of a dark room, his feet bleeding, needing me so badly that it broke my heart. Adrian, kissing me silly in the pine forest of my childhood. Adrian, showing me the world in dreams, and teaching me not to be so afraid of magic. Adrian, leaning over me, charming me with his magic into the most intense and amazing feelings I'd ever felt. Did I feel different about him, now that I'd experienced this? "No," I said. "I'm still completely crazy about you."

He grinned. "I'll take that," he said.

"Are you... ok?" I asked. "I mean, you didn't get to..." I trailed off. For all that I had a reputation for being direct, it was difficult for me to speak frankly about these things. But I was keenly aware that I had "enjoyed myself" three times, and Adrian hadn't had a chance yet.

"I got to have some of your blood," Adrian said. "For me, that's about as good. I mean," he added hastily, "it isn't, when it's just a random feeder. But getting to drink from you is like..." He sighed. "It just satisfies me in a way I know you'll never be able to understand. You'll just have to believe me."

"If you're happy, I'm happy," I said. "But you didn't have much, did you?"

"Not a ton," he said. "It was enough to taste you." He sighed happily. "Thank you, sweetheart." He squeezed me tight.

"Of course," I said. "You've done so much for me tonight." _And if you just let him bite you, he'd be doing even more_, noted the Traitor. She was right, I knew, but I wasn't ready for that. I had changed a lot in the past few months, grown tolerant to many things, and part of me was fascinated by the thought of Adrian biting me. Part of me even wanted it. But not yet. Not tonight. Maybe not ever.

"You've done a lot for me, too," Adrian said.

"Not like you have..." I began, but Adrian cut me off.

"You have. Trust me. This has been the best night of my life so far." He grinned. "How is it ranking for you?"

Number one with a bullet, I thought, immediately. "Top five," I said out loud.

"What are the other four?" he asked.

"Tonight," I said, counting on my fingers. "Tonight, tonight, and tonight."

Adrian laughed, pulling me close. We snuggled up, not speaking for a little while, until Adrian broke the silence by whispering, "Has tonight been... too much? I mean, has it been too... dirty? I know it was your first time. I hope I haven't freaked you out or anything."

"It hasn't really felt 'dirty' to me," I said. "It's you and me. We care about each other. How could what we do together be dirty?"

He smiled, and began running a lazy finger over my arm, back and forth. "I'm glad you see it that way. I guess I just really want to make you happy. Like, really, really, happy. I want you to smile whenever you think of this night, for the rest of your life."

"I think I will," I said, softly, and ran my fingers through his hair.

"Good," he whispered, low in my ear. He nibbled at my ear lobe, very gently, then ran his tongue over my neck. Was he actually ready to go again? As he continued to kiss me, I felt my pulse rate increase. I realized that, amazingly, _I_ was pretty much ready to go again, too. _Well, you spent half a year making out with the hottest guy on the planet. What did you think it would do to your libido?_ the Traitor asked, amused.

"You drive me crazy," I whispered.

"You drive me everywhere," Adrian whispered back, and I giggled. "But mostly crazy," he added, and rolled on top of me.

And then we were off again, kissing as if we had just invented the sport and were going for the gold. Then Adrian grinned at me and said, "Let's play a little game."

"Hmmm?" I murmured, through my haze.

"Look in my eyes," he said, and I felt the compulsion move through me. Then I closed my eyes again, and I felt two mouths on me, one at each breast. The sensation stopped after a moment, and then Adrian whispered, "Open your eyes."

I did. "What's the game?" I said, smiling in a dizzy sort of way.

"Which side was real?" he asked. "One side was compulsion feeling, the other was really me. Could you tell which was which?"

"No," I sighed, happily. "They both felt real."

"Want me to do it again?" he asked, grinning.

"Oh, yes," I said, and he did. After a few moments, he asked me again. "Left side?" I said, not sure.

"Wrong," he said, with an affected sigh. "We'll have to do it again, until you get it right."

It took two more times, but I finally got it. "So what's my prize for getting it right?" I asked.

"You get to play again," he said.

"Lucky me!" I said. And we played again, a few more times. Part of me wanted to let that go on for the foreseeable future, but there was something else I wanted to do.

I sat up slightly, pulling Adrian into a kiss as I did, and then rolled him over onto his back. He didn't fight me. I think he was curious what I was up to. I moved slightly to his side, so that I was kneeling by his waist. I put my hand on him, right where he really wanted to be touched, and he sighed in pleasure. I began to stroke him, slowly, up and down. His hand came up to rest on my breast as he enjoyed the touch. Then, I bent over, and took him into my mouth a little. This was brand new for me, and I wasn't sure what to do. But I listened to my instincts, and paid attention to when he seemed to react the most, and for a few minutes, I felt like I was making Adrian at least half as happy as he'd been making me. But then he brushed me aside again.

"Sydney," he murmured. "That feels waaaay too good. Give me a minute..."

And he rolled me over my back again, and began kissing my neck, right at the spot right under my ear, the spot that always drove me crazy. I fell back on the pillow reflexively, sighing. And then he moved away for a moment, and I watched as he put on another condom. I made a mental note to learn how they worked so I could do it for him in the future, and then he turned to me.

He began to crawl on top of me, but I grabbed him and rolled him on his back. He grinned at me as I moved over to straddle him. "Oh yeah?" he said. "There's the fierce girl I fell in love with."

"Hush, Ivashkov," I said, and, leaning on one hand and grasping him with the other, I guided him slowly inside of me. I don't know how I knew how to do it, but it seemed right, instinctively. I just knew where he belonged. Also, I had read a certain book I had found at the library in town which had given me some valuable information on the topic. Now, I began to move slowly, up and down, letting him get deeper inside of me with each movement.

I paused, looking down at him. He was meeting my gaze with such an intense expression that I almost had to look away. In some ways, I didn't want this to ever stop. I loved being like this with him, so close to him. It was exactly right in some indefinable way. But the drive to move again was strong. I lowered myself down so that we were chest to chest, and I began to move in an almost horizontal way, sliding myself along the length of him and back again. It felt amazing, especially when Adrian began sending out waves of compulsion-caresses. I felt him everywhere. With his real hands, he stroked my face, breasts, and back. With his real mouth, he spoke to me, soft words, loving words. He told me how beautiful I was, how good it felt, how much he had wanted me. I told him pretty much the same thing, feeling like for once my words weren't clumsy or stupid. Sometimes we said nothing at all, but just kissed. And then Adrian grasped my back with his hands to hold me still for a moment.

"I can't hold on very much longer," he said. "It's been... all night, we've been at this, and I can't..."

"It's ok," I said. "I want you to let go."

He pulled out of me just long enough to roll us over, so that he was on top again, then entered me again, a little quickly, making me gasp. How could something as simple as contact have so much meaning? How could it cause such a full body reaction? I loved his weight on me, I loved the look on his face. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his back. I loved the feel of him.

"Listen," he said hoarsely, making eye contact with me. I felt a wave of power surge from him. "When I say 'now', I want you to come. I want it to be a really good one, ok?"

"Ok," I said, dreamily. It sounded like a good plan to me.

He kissed me then and began moving faster on top of me. I held onto him tight as both our breathing grew heavier. I bit him right where his neck met his shoulder, softly, then when I heard him gasp, I bit a little harder, and he made a sound and clutched at me. Our eyes met. After a moment, he said, in a intense voice, "Now!"

And I did as I had been instructed to do a few moments ago.

It _was_ a good one, maybe the best one of the night. _Oh, my Adrian_, was my only clear thought. _My joy._

Adrian, meanwhile, had let out a hoarse groan, almost like someone in pain, but then I saw the smile blossoming on his face. "Sydney," he panted, and held onto me like I was a raft in a deep sea. "Oh, Syd." He covered my face with kisses, and I giggled.

We lay there for a while, his cheek pressed against my stomach, me stroking his hair. I began to slip into a bit of a doze, and I think Adrian did the same. After a little while, I came out of it, and saw Adrian looking at me. "Hi," I said.

"Hi, sweetheart," he said.

"That was..."

"Yeah," he agreed, and kissed my stomach. "So what's that for you now? Four?"

"Four," I said. "Cuatro, tessera, četiri, quatre, vier, dört, fire, quattro..."

He cut me off with a kiss on the lips. Even now, satisfied as a person could ever be, I felt myself begin to react to the feeling of his lips on mine. It was as if the more we kissed, the more I wanted to kiss. I've heard of people who only have sex with their partners once and then leave. How different that must be, to not care for the person, or even really be attracted to them. I tried to imagine making love with Adrian only once. It would be like eating a single M&M. I wanted to eat the whole bag. I wanted to eat the whole bag and then buy the factory and move into it.

We didn't kiss long, as we were both so tired and sated. We just cuddled back up, Adrian stroking my arm, me stroking his hair. We had both worked up a bit of a sweat, which oddly enough, I wasn't embarrassed about in the slightest. After a few minutes, though, I couldn't ignore how thirsty I was, so I edged out of his embrace and began to get out of bed.

"Hey!" Adrian said. "Where are you going?"

"I'm getting a glass of water!" I said. I was two steps from the bed now, so I turned around to look at him. "I'm thirsty."

"Fair enough," he said. "But just one thing first."

"What?" I asked. I made eye-contact, and Adrian grinned, then his eyes narrowed slightly as his power ignited in him.

"_Now_," he said, his voice a low growl.

The previous command still held me in sway, I realized, because at the mention of the word, yet another climax hit me like a tsunami. I let out a hoarse moan, and began to sway on my feet, hardly able to stand. Adrian, meanwhile, had leaped up to ease me back into the bed.

With his help, I lay down, shaking all over with pleasure, my toes curling."Adrian," I stuttered, clutching at him.

"Don't stop," he whispered. "This is going to be a nice _long_ one. A good one. Keep looking at me, Sydney."

I did exactly as I was told. "My Adrian," was all I could say, and it came out in the hoarsest of whispers. I lay there, Adrian stroking my face and looking me in the eyes, as I wriggled around with pleasure for nearly a minute. That's a very long time to experience a sensation that for most people, only lasts two or three seconds. The feeling subsided then, and I closed my eyes, exhausted and a little overwhelmed.

"I'll be right back," Adrian whispered, and I felt the bedsprings move as he got out of bed. I couldn't open my eyes, but just listened as the the bedroom door opened, and I heard him walk down the hall. I was still feeling a few little aftershocks, and I knew I must be grinning like a crazy person. A minute later, I heard him come back in, closing the door behind him, and then I felt him crawl back into bed. "I got you some water," he said. I managed to open my eyes and sit up a little, unable to erase the smile from my face. He handed the glass to me and I sipped. Then he took it back and drank some too. We passed the glass back and forth for a few minutes until it was empty. Then he put the glass on his nightstand and cuddled up with me on the bed. We were quiet for a few moments.

"This is pretty much the coolest thing ever," Adrian whispered in my ear after a while. "I just have to say the secret word and I'll have you screaming my name in seconds." He paused to consider. "Not that I want to hurry things up all the time. I like the long way, too. The scenic route, rather than the shortcut." He grinned and kissed me

"Me too," I said. "And speaking of which, you have to promise not to do that to me when I'm like, driving or something."

Adrian laughed. "Ok, fair enough," he said. "But I might just do it other times. We'll be watching TV and hit a commercial break and... pow!" I giggled, imagining it. "Or we'll be Clarence's and I'll pass by you in the hallway..."

"No, no," I said, laughing. "Not while I'm working. Not while anyone else is around."

"Hmm," Adrian said. "You sure? It could be mighty fun for you. Random orgasm, on the fly, and no one will know..."

"I'm sure," I said, though I definitely saw how it could be... interesting... to let Adrian have his way on this. I didn't want to get addicted to Adrian and what he could do for me, though it might be a bit late to try to avoid that. "And no more compulsion tonight, ok?" I added.

"Ok," he said, regretfully. "But you... liked it, right?"

I saw on his face the slight worry, and knew that it was my turn to reassure him. "I'll never forget tonight as long as I live," I said. "It was amazing. I don't know how it could have been any better. I don't know if I could have _survived_ anything better, actually..."

Adrian laughed a little. "Ok. As long as you liked it."

"I did. I definitely did. But just... we should rest now. You've used plenty of spirit as it is."

"I'm fine," he said. "Believe me. I can go on for hours like this." He grinned at me and raised his eyebrows.

"I know," I said. But before he could react, I reached out mentally and found that spot in him where the darkness of spirit tended to accumulate. There was a small pool of dark energy there, so I began wiping clean. I was too happy and giddy to remember that I wasn't supposed to be doing this in the waking world. As I continued to do whatever it was that I was doing, I thought, _This isn't really me doing magic. It is just me accessing Adrian's own magic._ After all, the darkness was the after-effect of spirit, so it seemed right that Adrian's own magic would clear it out... right?

_That makes perfect sense, _laughed the Traitor. _Well reasoned. Well justified. I'm impressed. _

"Hush," I whispered to her, though out loud I said nothing, focusing on the healing.

Adrian held me tighter and then relaxed. "Wow, Sydney," he said after a pause. "You're getting better and better at that."

"It's just physics," I said. "I'm just directing your own energy into your mind. Like Hercules cleaning out the Augean stables."

"If you say so," Adrian said, sleepily, and kissed the top of my head. "I'm just lucky to have you in my life."

"I feel lucky, too," I said. "I can't imagine my life without you."

"You _are_ lucky," he said. "You don't have to."

We cuddled up in our usual position, with me lying on his chest and his arms around me. I felt safe and warm and completely satisfied, to the point of almost giddiness. The last thing I heard before sleep claimed me was Adrian whispering, "I love you, Sage." And a voice whispered inside of my head that I loved him too, and I promised myself that sometime very soon I'd say it out loud.


End file.
